South Korean stocks finished slightly lower Thursday, as investors unloaded blue chips following gains the previous session. The local currency fell against the greenback.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 1.18 points, or 0.05 percent, to close at 2,573.64.
Trade volume was moderate at 422 million shares worth 12.95 trillion won ($8.97 billion), with losers outpacing winners 539 to 331.
Foreign and retail investors together sold a net 556.1 billion won, while institutions bought a net 444.5 billion won.
Overnight, Wall Street stabilized following a two-session losing streak after the country's Consumer Price Index for February came in lower than market expectations, helping ease uncertainties stemming from US President Donald Trump's tariff policies.
The S&P 500 rose 0.49 percent, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq jumped 1.22 percent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, however, slipped 0.2 percent.
The Kospi gained traction in the morning session, rising as high as the 2,600-mark in early trading, but later wiped out its earlier gains in the afternoon session.
Han Ji-young, a researcher at Kiwoom Securities, said the February US CPI data "helped push stagflation concerns among investors to the sidelines" in early trading, but the Kospi ultimately finished lower on profit taking.
Market heavyweight Samsung Electronics dropped 0.36 percent to 54,700 won, and leading battery manufacturer LG Energy Solution slipped 2.3 percent to 340,500 won.
Bio shares also declined, with Samsung Biologics sliding 2.41 percent to 1,053,000 won and Celltrion shedding 1.23 percent to 184,600 won.
Steel and chemical shares also retreated. Top steelmaker Posco Holdings dropped 0.48 percent to 312,500 won, and LG Chem slid 3.39 percent to 242,500 won.
In contrast, top defense equipment manufacturer Hanwha Aerospace soared 6.32 percent to 707,000 won, and shipbuilding giant Hanwha Ocean jumped 3.52 percent to 73,500 won.
Leading automaker Hyundai Motor also gained 1.41 percent to finish at 201,000 won, while No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix edged up 0.4 percent to 199,700 won.
The local currency was trading at 1,453.8 won against the US dollar at 3:30 p.m., down 2.8 won from the previous session. (Yonhap)
